Tammi Tallulah Takes Edward and Bella
by gangsterdorothy
Summary: Edward and Bella’s paths will cross when they must get their hands on the hottest doll of the season. Their last chance comes from a contest giving away five dolls around NYC. Can they get the doll and each other? Twific Gift Exchange fic for Lillybellis
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This fic was a gift for Lillybellis for the winter cycle of the Twific Gift Exchange. There are four chapters total and I will be posting one a day. Hope you enjoy it as much as my recipient did.

* * *

**EPOV**

It was the hot ticket item of the season. If I didn't get this, my niece would hold it over my head and she barely comes to my mid thighs.

A small, slightly lispy voice spoke to me from below. "Uncle Eddie, can I have the Tammi Tallulah doll for Christmas?" Shoshanna's big, brown eyes looked up at me, her tiny fist pulling on my pant leg.

Smiling wide down at her, patting her blonde hair, I promised her, "Of course." I had no idea what a Tammi Tallulah doll was.

Her mouth stretched into a charming smile, her two front teeth missing. As she ran passed me out of the kitchen, she sing-songed 'Tammi Tallulah!' over and over.

"You think you can just _walk_ into a store and_ buy_ that doll?" Rosalie practically laughed at me and my naivety about toy buying.

"It's a doll." I grabbed a carrot from the vegetables she was chopping. "Toys R Us, Kay Bee Toys, Wal-Mart. They'll have it." With finality, I chomped the pointy end off. It's a piece of plastic with fake hair and some girly dress on it, what else was there to do but walk into an establishment and purchase the thing?

She shook her head, as she cut angrily into some thick pieces. "You shouldn't have promised her. Now, she's going to think you'll be able to get it for her and she'll be upset and why would you want an upset five year old on Christmas Day?" Rosalie's voice grew higher and higher as she spoke.

"Rosalie, come on. It's not like I'm out looking for Tickle Me Elmo." The only reason I was even aware of that phenomenon was because I had tried and failed to get one for my girlfriend in high school. Yes, in high school. That red furry giggling monstrosity even captivated the girl I was trying to have sex with.

"No. It's much, much worse."

"Rose, stop talking about that bump on my nut. I'm going to get it checked out." Emmett's booming voice preceded him as he entered. His eyes met mine, looking flustered at what he inadvertently admitted. "Hey Eddie."

I bit my cheeks to keep the laughter at bay. "Emmett." He really didn't need me having another secret held against him. I already have the bachelor party debauchery stored away for blackmail. Nothing like your future brother-in-law waking up on the stripper's boobs outside the strip club the morning you're supposed to get married, drooling all over them.

"Yeah, keep your mouth shut." Emmett gave me the stare down, as he walked to kiss his wife and stare at _her _boobs a little.

"Hey. Eyes up there." I didn't need him doing that to my sister in front of me.

"Once you experience pregnancy boobs, you never go back." Emmett ignored me, but made up for it by passing me a beer from the fridge. "So, I heard an update on the Tammi Tallulah doll five a day giveaway." He threw out there, before popping open his Heineken.

I perked up a little bit; with the way Rosalie made obtaining this doll out to be, any information would help. "Oh really? There's a giveaway?"

"Why? You want one? You have the dress, album and make up kit already, right?" Emmett took a swig of his beer. Asshole.

Two can play at that game. "The thing with your nut? What's the problem exactly? Is it ascending back into your body?" I took a victory chug. A sweet, sweet chug.

"Alright, enough showing off how big your dicks are." Rosalie cut in; Emmett and I constantly ragged on each other. If I tried ragging on Rosalie when we were younger, she'd storm off and refuse to talk to me for a few days. Now, having a brother to shoot the shit with got rid of the sneers and soul burning stares. "What'd you hear?"

"They said that there are five stores in the New York City giving away five Tammi Tallulah dolls."

"That's good. We'll get a couple more people to help us stake out the five popular toy stores in the city." I didn't know many people anymore, but I could get the ones I still did know to help me out.

"No. The catch is that the dolls aren't going to be in any kinds of toy stores. They're going to be in places that are related to the Tammi Tallulah show. The stores are going to be answers to clues."

I knew nothing about this show; twenty five year old males weren't exactly the demographic audience. Maybe I could Wikipedia some things beforehand. "How're we supposed to know about any of that?"

I knew what was coming next; Emmett's curious grin with big, fat know it all dimples. "Why so interested, Edward?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Edward promised Shoshanna a Tammi Tallulah doll."

Emmett's lips formed a chuckle against the top of his bottle. "Dude, why would you do that?"

"How was I to know it would be like finding Waldo?" He could stop yanking my chain and give me the information.

"Fine. You have to listen to radio morning show tomorrow morning at eight o'clock and they will give you the first clue as to where to go. After that, on the hour every hour, they'll give more clues."

"_Clues_? You mean I have to figure out where it is?" It's not like I have a full time job to go to, but still. The people who made the doll weren't making it easy.

"Look before you leap next time, Eddie." Emmett preached to me before leaving to change out of his scrubs.

Looks like I had until eight o'clock in the morning to brush up on everyone's favorite pre-teen girl television show.

**//....................\\**

**BPOV**

"Bella, I need you to remove your..." Mr. Aro told me for the umpteenth time, pointing to his own nostril for demonstration. I always forgot it was there and then when I do remember, it's too late.

"No problem, boss." I really needed a job that allowed me to leave my nose stud in.

"Oh, and that other one." He pointed to the area below his lower lip.

"I just got this one, it can't come out yet." I had it done the day before by the talented Slippery Sam, a legend in piercing. Appointments for him were few and far between and I was able to get one.

He breathed an aggravated sigh through his nose, whistling against the unplucked hairs. "And Felix called in sick. Alright, work the counter today. I'll put off doing the numbers until tomorrow." With that, Mr. Aro went about his business in the back.

For the most part, working at Mr. Aro Alabaster's Bookshop was a cake walk. I wasn't too big on books before working here. My real dream was working in a used record store in the West Village somewhere, but they either wanted some eye candy to look at while working or they weren't hiring. Mr. Aro hired me because I reminded him of his daughter; I'm a twenty five year old college graduate with piercings, she's a thirty five year old lawyer with two kids.

And my mother being a librarian, would've loved her daughter to work at an antique bookstore. Books never captivated me when I was kid; they were ominous on our bookshelf with big gold font on dark hard covers. I preferred the bright inviting images of the television.

A few hours passed on my shift as people came in and out of the store. A group of teens came in, looking to hang out in a warm place as they waited for a friend to arrive before going to the movie theater across the street. One of the boys tried to pick me up, complimenting my 'very cute plaid skirt' and wondered if I 'needed any help taking it off later'. Very charming. Also, very high school.

As they left, the phone rang. I ran to pick it up in time, but didn't make it. I vaguely heard Mr. Aro greet whoever was on the phone.

Mr. Aro came out from his office five minutes later. "Isabella, could you be here a little before eight o'clock tomorrow morning?"

So I get to close _and_ I have to come back in the morning? Plus, that isn't normal business hours for the bookshop. "What's going on at eight in the morning?"

He adjusted the brim of his glasses before speaking. "Well, I received a call from a lady from a Tantamount Studios? They're having a giveaway of something called Tammi Tallulah." He waved his hands around, trying to decipher and remember information he just heard. "Anyway, they chose this store as one of the places to give it away. I have to take Mrs. Aro to the orthopedic early tomorrow morning, so I need you here."

Shit.

Once he mentioned Tammi Tallulah, I knew I was in deep shit.

Aside from working the occasional hours at the shop, I baby-sat for a little girl. We'd sit and watch the show after she got out of school every day. She'd slip on the purple and silver dress, put on the characters signature silver bracelets and dance around the living room. I watched it not only out of obligation for my job, but one of the guys on the show was hot; later on, I checked to make sure my crush wasn't illegal.

Half the time though, I slept through that entire hour of television.

Then one day, I slept for too long and almost got in trouble by her parents. The girl agreed to keep my own nappy time a secret if I got her the doll for Christmas.

I agreed to, even though that toy was in demand right now. Anything with Tammi Tallulah's name on it was the 'in' thing. Then, I went online and checked on the places I could find the doll. I browsed every single retail website that would sell it and all of them were sold out. EBay was my last option and the starting price was way more than a month's paycheck for both the bookshop and the babysitting.

This was my last shot. And it would be free!

And what are the chances that our store was chosen to hand one of them out? It was kismet! I could have my hands on it and gift wrapped for the next time I see her.

But, if I were a parent or anyone trying to win it and an employee at the store withheld it for themselves, I would have to break their legs.

I suddenly had a moral dilemma.

I was screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

**BPOV**

It was like the Secret Service showed up to escort the President.

At exactly eight o'clock on the nose, two big burly guys showed up with a long legged strawberry blonde in tow.

The lady removed her dark framed sunglasses. "Hello, I'm Tanya Denali from Tantamount Studios." She showed me her credentials, then stuck out her hand to shake mine. "I'm sorry Mr. Aro wasn't able to join us this morning."

I nodded back.

"Now, sorry we have to cut the chat short, but we do have some serious business to get down to." Tanya pulled out some light blue colored papers in a report cover, flipping open to the second page and pointing out a dollar amount. "This here is the fee that Mr. Aro will be paid for use of his facilities during this promotion. He was made aware of the amount last night and said that you can sign for him as long as I see some ID."

The number easily covered Mr. Aro's rent for the next six months. "Wow. Okay." I whipped out my driver's license, which was checked with a machine by one of the massive giants standing at Tanya's sides. I took the pen to paper and signed my John Hancock.

"Next thing. Laurent?" Tanya gestured for Laurent to place a big silver case on top of the counter in front of me. Reaching from behind, he lifted the cases latches, they clicked open and revealed the ultimate prize. I swore I heard jingles and chimes. "This is the Tammi Tallulah doll, which we are giving away today. This is very important .

"The people that come in here will be aggressive which is why Laurent and Demetri are here. They will be guarding the door outside until the first person arrives and they will let that person in. Once they're in they will pick up the doll, sign a few things for contact purposes and be on their way."

Parents sacrifice everything and nothing when it comes to their kids. Of course they would tackle people to get their hands on this hot commodity.

Tanya continued. "Finally, this is our biggest concern with running these contests at locations out of our hands. Employees of the host stores tend to get greedy and lie. They say they gave the toy away already and keep the toy for themselves. This is not legal as you can suspect and the employee will have charges pressed against them accordingly. And if need be, the store owner will as well."

For a second I panicked. This was obviously a big point she was making, but what kind of proof did they have if I took it? There was the contact sheet the winner would have to sign, but I could fake a name and number. I knew for a fact that Mr. Aro's security cameras in the store were just for show. Plus, does she not realize how hard her company has made it to get this damn doll? It was like the universe was calling me to claim it as my own.

"Do you have any further questions?"

Not giving any of my strategies away, I answered "No."

"Then just sign here." Tanya flipped to the last page, which I briefly skimmed. With one final swoop of the gold pen in my hand, I signed to be a good honest person and not keep the doll for myself.

"Good luck." She slipped on her sunglasses and walked swiftly out the door.

James and Laurent glanced around the store, taking in the shelves not too much taller than them. They really did look scary looking. "So do you guys use steroids?"

Two sets of crinkled brows shot looks my way, which prompted them to take their place outside the door.

The doll sat lonesome on the counter now in its silver case. The sparkly purple dress with a cinched waist would give any girl a self esteem issue, if they didn't adore the damn thing so much.

I knew I would've.

Her long white blonde hair fell just below her bust line. Her sky high boots were ridiculous with swirly purple lines around white. If I wasn't aware that she was modeled after a star of a kid show, I would've thought she were your typical street walker.

Closing the silver case and sliding it under the counter, I patiently waited for whoever it was that would be the lucky recipient of this doll. I think once I knew who the recipient would be, I would make up an excuse and then I would keep it for myself. Seriously, what were the chances it would be dropped off at my store?

**//....................\\**

**EPOV**

Waking up bright and early was not my usual M.O. I don't think I've been up before noon in nearly four years when I was in college. Even then I did my best to find classes that started after lunch time. Shutting my alarm clock off, I got up to get ready for a possibly full day running around New York City.

Living so close to the train station, I didn't own a car. My bike and I went everywhere; it substituted for the subway sometimes whenever I reached New York City. It was a pain to carry around and sometimes I regretted not chaining it back at the station or asking for a ride from Rosalie or Emmett.

I planned ahead and decided to be in Manhattan before the morning show announced the first clue. I figured every single person searching for this doll would be thinking ten steps ahead and I definitely didn't want to get left behind.

When I was in school, I was meticulous with planning.

It seemed an odd thing for someone like me to be that way. I was a completely average student who smoked more than cigarettes. In high school and through some of college, my extracurricular activities had consisted of sitting in my basement inhaling and selling pot, illegal gambling parties, and pulling pranks on my sister and her friends. Come to think of it, my organizational skills might've developed from having to keep clients straight.

Once I stood outside Penn Station, I tuned into the radio on my phone. A song just finished up, before they announced the first clue. There was a small huddle of people doing the exact same thing as me.

"Here we go." The disc jockey preempted. "The first clue of the Tammi Tallulah doll giveaway contest is…" Drum rolls rumbled in the background. "What were the colors of Tammi's boots for her very first performance, as described by her shoe designer? You want the paler of the two."

Immediately I sprung into action, ticking off all the episode summaries I could remember from last night while I browsed online.

The answer was white, but the shoe designer Caius Clandestine, insisted that it was a certain type of white. Having the World Wide Web at my hands, I searched for the many synonyms for it. Pale, milk, ivory…those seemed too normal; this shoe designer on the show seemed eccentric and would insist on only the most sophisticated of terms.

There were two options that fit. One more time, I typed in store searches with the two hues of white.

Altogether, there were three options between the two hues of white. Two places for one hue, and one for the other.

Taking a chance, I decided to go with the last one, hopped on my bike and rode in that direction.

Breezing through the streets of Manhattan, I recognized many parents hitting up the shops that might have the prized possession. Many disgruntled and disappointed faces exited stores, both doll-less and pissed off.

The stinging winter air hit my face and eyes as I pushed toward what I hoped was the answer to the clue.

I reached my destination in fifteen minutes flat. Outside, two guys donning black clothing stood on either side of the door. They could've given Emmett, Mini-Governator as I call him, a run for his money.

The monstrous duo definitely looked out of place in front of this quaint bookstore; they clearly were security for some type of crowd that would arrive. No one else was around and that meant one of two things: someone was inside already or other people haven't figured it out yet.

Hopping off my bike, I chained it to the nearest street sign pole. Walking up to the two men, I smiled up at them. "I'm here for the Tammi Tallulah doll."

The two guys shared a slightly amused look; I guess they were expecting a paunchy forty something mom or dad. The pony tailed blonde opened the door, a bell connected to the top of it chimed.

Inside, the place was littered with old hard covered books. The smell of aged paper infiltrated my nose; some people didn't care for the musty scent, but I kind of liked it.

To my left, there was the counter with a tall bookcase behind it connected to the wall. No one had come out from the bell that rang when I entered and suddenly I felt like I had the wrong place. "Hello?" I called out to the empty space.

"I'll be right there!" A female voice yelled from somewhere near the back of the store. A small thud reached my ears. "Ow!" The voice yelped out.

She sounded like she must've fallen or hit something. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Just--I'll be right there!"

Digging my hands in my pockets, I looked over the table near the front of the store with books laying on them. Christmas classics were featured for the month; with a sale of buy two get one free. They offered free gift wrapping, now a rarity in this economy.

"Sorry. I banged my head on a shelf." The female voice, much closer than before, apologized.

I turned to look at her standing behind me, her hand rubbing a spot behind her head.

She definitely was a looker. Her brown hair brushed just passed her chin and heavy makeup around similar colored eyes. Sitting on her nose was a tiny diamond stud; her full lips made fuller by the piercing below her lower lip.

But, there was something familiar about her. I knew this girl from somewhere. Was she a former customer of mine? Did she used to gamble in the illegal ring?

"Did you used to smoke pot?" Yes very smooth Eddie; that is the perfect opener.

"Huh? No. What?" She dropped her hand from the back of her head.

"Sorry. My verbal filter was put in wrong when I was born." I could feel the heat hitting my cheek and under my collar. "What I meant to say was…have I seen you somewhere before?"

She pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows, effectively making her adorable. "I don't know. Have you?"

My mind delved around for all the possibilities she could've entered my life before. The only real options were school or work. As I searched in vain, I noticed a class ring on her right ring finger. A tiny image of a ram, my high schools mascot, was on the side and a year of graduation, the same year I did.

"Did you go to Alan Halbert High School?"

"Yes, I did. How'd you know?"

"Your class ring."

She subconsciously twirled the ring around. "Oh. Yes. God that was seven years ago for me. What about you? What year were you?"

"Two thousand and two." I said.

She looked even more confused. "Wait, you were in my graduating class? Why don't I remember you?"

"I should ask the same thing."

"What's your name?"

Here's the telling part. "Eddie Cullen. And you?"

"Isabella Swan."

Izzy Swan? iIzzy fucking Swan_._/i

I instantly wanted to hide in a corner. I might've pulled a prank on her in high school and might've accidentally stolen one of her bras and shirts from the girl's locker room one day. But, she didn't have to know that.

I was supposed to steal her friend's bra and tops from her locker, but I was given the wrong number. Panicking, I had opened her locker door, grabbed her clothes and scurried away. I watched as she came out of the shower in a towel before she dropped it, revealing her boobs. Once she saw that her clothes were taken, she quickly gathered her towel up and ran.

"Cullen, huh? Who'd you hang out with in high school?"

"Um, Jasper Hale, Peter Satiel and Vicky Mu."

She looked to be thinking about those names for a minute before getting back to me. "Well, glad you made it out alive back then. What can I help you with?" She flashed me a big, goofball smile, her hands fiddled with the hem of her yellow and black plaid skirt.

"I'm here for the Tammi Tallulah doll."

Her face fell instantly. "Oh. Yes that." She quickly turned on her heels, stepping up and behind the elevated counter.

For some reason, I felt bad. I was here for one thing and one thing only and it wasn't to buy a book. This place probably suffered greatly from not only the economy but from people not reading as much anymore.

"I'm sorry; it must be a hard time in here for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Not many people buy books anymore, what with all the entertainment the internet has."

"Yes, it is a shame. But, oh well. Let me see if I have that doll here somewhere." She sounded awfully bitter, as she dove down below the counter; I assume to retrieve the doll.

I leaned against the counter, examining the table of Christmas themed books from afar. Why not buy a book for my niece? I strolled over to it and picked up an illustrated version of iThe Night before Christmas./i

I heard a sniffling come from behind me. Turning around, I saw Bella with a silver case resting on the counter. She popped it open, as she wiped her eyes with her sleeves. "Here." She gently lifted the prized possession from its custom made spot inside.

Her random crying was throwing my off as I rejoiced that I was able to get this gift. "Thanks." I said cautiously, picking up the doll and cradling it in two hands. I couldn't believe that so many people fought over this piece of 'made in China' shit. There was nothing magical about this toy. Then again, I am not a five year old girl.

"Fill this out." Isabella, sounding even more upset, held out a small packet with blue paper inside. It prompted me to write down some info about myself; name, address and whatnot.

"Sign here." She pushed back more tears and sniffles, even bringing her sleeve to her nose. What is going on with this girl? I couldn't remember her even being this upset when I witnessed her frantically looking for her bra and shirt in the locker room.

I was nervous to say something, but I wanted to purchase the book. "I want to buy this too." I pushed the children's literature toward her.

She rung up the book and then asked. "Do you want it--" She sniffled once again. "--gift wrapped?"

I knew I could still go to Aunt Nessie's house to get these things wrapped, but I was really concerned for Isabella. I think if I said no, she might burst into a full crying fit. "Sure, if it's not too much trouble."

She held the doll and book in her hand and headed to the back of the store. She came back a few minutes later with the two items in the neatest wrapping job I'd ever seen. Even better than my aunt. "Wow, you're a very good."

"Thank you." She shyly responded, her nose red as Rudolph from crying.

"Well, I must be on my way." I reached the door, heard the jingle of the bell.

"Wait!" Isabella shouted, running toward me.

I turned and stared down at the image of a forlorn girl. My mouth opened to ask her something, but she beat me to it.

"I really need that doll. I'll-I'll give you money for it. If I don't get that doll, I will feel so-so-so and-and I can't deal with it. Please, I'll pay you. You name your price. Please, from one old alumni to another." She clasped her hands together, her eyes pleading along with her words. "Please." She whispered softly.

So, was that why she was crying? Because she was going to lose the doll? I didn't know what to think of that. Was the crying a tactic? If it was, it's pretty shady.

I was feeling all kinds of guilt. The image of a seventeen year old topless Isabella, while not a bad sight when you're a teenage boy, played in my mind as a sad image. I wanted to help her and she was doing the honorable thing by letting me have the doll, even though I would've definitely kept the thing for myself if I was her.

"I can't give you this. For any price." I honestly told her.

"I understand." She sounded like she was graciously going to bow down and admit defeat.

Was she aware that there were more dolls being given away? "You know…the contest isn't over. They still have four more dolls to hand out with this thing. I think the next clue is coming up soon."

"My boss isn't here yet."

"When are they getting in?"

"He should be here in a little while."

"Tell you what; I'll help you get that doll. Even if it means we have to go until the very last doll is given out. Just tell your boss something, make it up." I didn't have a job right now, what else was I going to do all day? Spend my day watching TV in the apartment above my sister's garage?

She looked at me and it was a shy, complacent lower lip biting smile that lit her face. "Okay."

I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I could do worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**BPOV**

Yes, I cried.

I turned into a girl and prayed this guy who I only semi-knew from high school would have pity on me. I committed the ultimate cliché for girldom.

But, I knew this Eddie Cullen owed me. That fucker left me without a bra and top in high school!

I didn't want to let him on to that bit of information, in case he didn't know I knew. In fact, I knew he didn't know. I got it out of his friend Peter, one of the four notorious potheads who smoked on the corner at all hours of the school day.

Jasper, Peter, Vicky, and Eddie were known as the Quatro in school. Everyone was pretty sure that they all did each other. Jasper Hale was the cool-headed blonde, probably the most stoned of them all. Peter had a Caesar haircut through most of high school, before completely shaving it off before graduation. Vicky was half Chinese, half white with the fiercest red hair.

Eddie Cullen was the long haired, shaggy auburn haired guy, quietest of the four.

How did I know all this? It was my job to know all this. I was among the popular crowd in high school. We knew little bits about everyone, only to use it for our own amusement, but once in a while to get what we wanted.

I never did use any of the pothead's information, but that's because they were surprisingly boring for smokers.

Aro Alabaster came into the store a little after ten a.m., about fifteen minutes before the next clue would be announced according to Eddie. Aro ended up calling Felix and asked him to come in early, which he obliged to do. I'd have to deal with any favors Felix would need me to do for him later on.

The big buff scary looking men saw Eddie with the doll gift wrapped from outside the store. They took the case and papers from me and were off on their own merry way. There was a small crowd of people outside the store that moaned and groaned when they saw Eddie with the doll, before they dispersed.

I put my coat on, grabbed my bag and stepped outside the store with Eddie. I shivered slightly at the harsh temperature change from toasty warm to bitterly cold.

Eddie looked down at my legs. "Aren't you really cold in that? Its damn near freezing out here, your legs are ripe for frostbite."

"I have leggings on." I glanced down at my legs, twisting my body slightly to the side for a clear view of them. "I like wearing skirts. They make me feel more sophisticated."

He chuckled before typing something on his phone.

"So…what do we do now?" I stared at his fingers moving on the phone's flat surface. The phone emitted music from its small speakers.

"The clues are announced on a radio station. They are clues that have something to do with the show, but they seem to be kind of hidden. Like, the clue that led me to your shop was 'What were the colors of Tammi's boots for her very first dance performance, as described by her shoe designer? You want the lighter of the two'. The answer was alabaster. Aro Alabaster's Book Shop." Eddie pointed blindly to the store sign behind us.

"Man, they sure don't make it easy."

"Nope. Okay I think it's time." Eddie held his finger to his lips as we waited.

I stepped closer to him; he smelled really nice. Like apple cider and cinnamon and not like pot.

"Okay the second clue in the Tammi Tallulah giveaway." Some cheesy drum roll sounded off in the background. "Not nickels, dimes, or quarters. What did Tammi and Glenda collect for the Bundle up Babies fundraiser?"

We stood thinking about the options. Eddie was like a pro at deciphering clues because he had the answer faster than I could come up with any.

"Shit." Eddie cursed. "That is way too easy."

"So that's a good thing?"

"No because there is only one real option. That clue is a complete wash."

"What's the answer?"

"Tammi and Glenda collected pennies. Then I just deduced that Tantamount Studios would like to make some profit off of this thing, hand out the doll at a place that already sells merchandise for that damn singing teen actress who plays her. The answer is JC Penney's. Or Penney's for short."

I smiled up at him, despite the grimness of the situation. "That was impressive." The whole corporate bullshit aspect of it wasn't, but everything else was.

He shrugged. "I just like being really thorough with things." He sighed. "So, do you want to go get some breakfast?"

"Sure, my treat. Since I feel somewhat responsible for this."

"Alright. Let me get my bike." Eddie unchained his bike from a post.

What was I going to ride on? "How is this going to work?"

"How's iwhat/i going to work?"

"You have a bike, I have legs." I'm not exactly made of horse power here.

"Yes, you have legs. Sophisticated legs." He stared at them for a few seconds.

"No my skirts are. Nevermind." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm just walking the bike. If we need to get somewhere quick, you can stand on the pegs." He kicked the round, hollow cylinders in the back by the wheel.

"And I'm supposed to trust that I don't get thrown from your bike, Mr. Armstrong."

"Aren't you trusting me leading you blindly already?" He smiled a charming crooked grin.

He had me there. "Fine. Let's get some omelets. Go to Maggie Mae's." It was my favorite spot for breakfast, which was a couple blocks away from the shop.

The place was a typical fifties style diner with old five cent Coke ads and a jukebox, which stopped working long ago; now music boosted from speakers in the ceiling. We were sat in a booth by the hostess. I browsed the menu, always finding some new omelet to try on it. The Denver omelet was looking good, but I was thinking of getting the Popeye omelet, spinach with a little bit of garlic.

Putting my menu down to shed my jacket, I caught Eddie looking at me. "What?" I took a sip from one of the cups of water that had been placed on the table.

"Your hair is a lot shorter than in high school."

"Yeah, and yours is too?" I looked around for our waitress to place our order.

"Yeah, that's true but I'd say my overall style is the same. Not only is your hair shorter, but you now you have piercings and dress more like a punk than a _Sweet Valley High_ girl."

He hit a nerve with me and I didn't feel like dealing with that right now. "Well, thank you for pointing that out. And you look less like a stoner."

"I didn't mean you look different in a bad way. It's nice to see people…grow up past high school."

"Thanks." I grabbed the salt and pepper shakers and made them dance. "This…" I gestured to my garb. "…is a very touchy subject, so if we can avoid that little bit of conversation, then you and I will be golden."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay. No talks of piercings, tattoos, short skirts or leggings."

"And hair and thank you. I never said anything about tattoos though." Did he automatically assume that I had one?

"Well I saw you had one behind your ear." Eddie gestured with his hand behind his earlobe. I followed his hand run down his neck, skimming a very nice jaw line. If he wasn't a complete druggie back in high school, I might've considered him attractive.

"Oh. Sometimes I forget I have it." I pushed my hair forward, covering the tiny heart tattoo.

The waitress came by and took our order. I got the omelet, while Eddie decided on toast, eggs and home fries.

"I gave up pot smoking a while ago." He folded his hands behind his head. "That and the illegal gambling."

"Illegal gambling?" What did that even entail?

"Yeah, people get together and bet in underground casinos. Very shady but, also great way to make some quick cash."

"Oh."

He placed his hands on the table, grabbing the straw paper and wrapping it around his finger. "But, I decided to give that all up."

"What made you stop doing all that?" The waitress brought us both our cups of coffee.

"It's kind of a personal story. I'd rather not get into it right now." He relinquished his actions to stir in some milk for his coffee.

We feasted on our greasy food and kept checking the clock for when it came close to the time to be on the look out for clues.

Eddie seemed like a nice guy; he was helping me out even though we were barely acquaintances in high school. Stoners and popular chicks didn't hang out or breathe the same air as each other.

We finished our breakfast, slipped back into our coats and entered the bitterly cold city air again.

I watched Eddie pull out a set of ear buds and plug it into the socket of his phone.

"Here. Put this in your ear."

"Okay." I dragged the word out.

"So no one else will listen to the clues. You never know who might be want in on this."

He had a small point, and what was the harm? The cord on the ear buds was short, so I had to step close to him once again; I did need some apple cider to finish off my meal anyway.

"The third clue in the Tammi Tallulah giveaway…" The DJ announced. "… Tammi took a 'day off', lit 'sixteen candles' dressed 'pretty in pink' and held a marathon of movies by this prolific nineteen eighties director. He really put himself on the map."

We removed the ear buds, but didn't step away from each other. I thought about what the hell was just told to us. They were riddles within riddles.

"What are you thinking?" He asked me.

"Uh…well the answer is obviously John Hughes?" I scrunched my nose, hopeful the answer smelled right.

"He's part of the answer, but…John Hughes has what to do with a location around the city?" Eddie brought his hand to his chin, stroking the stubble there.

What else is part of the clue? The movies and their locations didn't take place anywhere near New York City.

Edward snapped his finger. " 'He really put himself on the map.' A map. Something to do with a map." I looked up at him; his eyes were searching for some sort of connection.

Then it clicked. "Shermer, Illinois. He made up a fake town in Illinois, in essence putting himself on the map."

Eddie smiled at me. "Nice. Let me see if I can find something related to Shermer in the city." He began plugging away on his phone. "Okay, wow…I had no idea that not one, but two even existed. There are apparently two restaurants and gift shops called Shermer Shacks, dedicated to all things John Hughes movies." He laughed bright and clear.

I laughed with him. "That sounds like the coolest thing ever invented."

"But, like I said, there are two of them. One in the West Village and the other near Times Square."

We were in the East Village. "Shit, hmm…I have no idea."

"Well, JCPenney's is a few blocks from Times Square and your shop is here…maybe they're going all over the place?" He shrugged his shoulders. "It's up to you what you want to do."

Great, making decisions never were easy for me. "Let's go with your theory."

"Are you sure?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"It's as good as any."

"Alright. We can subway it there and then bike it for some of it."

We headed toward the subway station, purchased our Metrocards and hopped on the train that would take us a few blocks from our hopefully correct destination.

The subway was packed not only with people, but also their giant gift bags. Their bulky coats also took up some much needed room on the small traveling car.

Some heavy set man stepped onto the train, forcing me to stand close to Eddie, as he held his bike standing up. My hand pressed into his chest, his arm holding me steady as the train stopped far too short for anyone's liking.

I could feel his breath tickle my ear and I looked everywhere but up at him.

"I like your tattoo. It's cute. It looks very kissable."

I scoffed, reaching my hand up to touch it. "Kissable?"

"If I had a girlfriend with a tattoo like that, I'd kiss her in that exact spot every day."

He was making me blush. I all but forgot the bitter meaning behind that little ink marking. "Well, if I knew a guy with a pink heart tattoo, I'd be suspect to know of his sexual preferences."

"Shoot, I've got one on my ass." He hung his head in mock shame. "Would you kiss it for me?"

We reached our subway stop before I could answer. "To be continued." I stepped out of the car, with Eddie not far behind me.

I helped him cart the bike up the stairs, and then stealthily hopped on the pegs as Eddie rode. I grabbed onto his shoulders to steady myself as he weaved his way through traffic. I cringed a few times when he had to slow down because the road was getting a little slick from the snow that had started falling.

As we reached Shermer Shack, there were already two couples standing outside the doors of the place. It looked like we were out of luck on this location as well. There was a small panic starting to set in that my search for this toy was all in vain.

An older gentleman who looked a little like John Hughes, stepped out and spoke to us. "Sorry folks, this shop don't have the toy you're looking for."

Everyone groaned, including me. "It _was_ the Times Square store. Fuck." I stomped my foot. It really was a day filled with girly clichés, dolls included.

"Sorry." Eddie sighed out. "I think I led you on a little bit with that clue. I did suggest this location over the other one. Uh…let me make it up to you."

It seemed like we were constantly tipping the scales in the course of the short amount of time we'd been together. "What do you have in mind?"

"How opposed are you to shopping at the Shermer Shack?"

"Not entirely opposed." Who doesn't love John Hughes' movies?

Entering the store and restaurant, we were bombarded with everything to do with some of the best movies of all time. There was memorabilia in the store with many black and white set pictures and pieces of the script scattered inside frames on the wall. There were also photos of the cast, signed and unsigned.

There were replicas of some of the clothing seen in the movies that you can purchase, like the infamous pair of panties in 'Sixteen Candles' and Bender's fingerless gloves in 'The Breakfast Club'.

Eddie was eying those fingerless gloves, trying them on and stretching his fingers around them.

"I think you should get the Jake Ryan sweater." I told him, holding my soon-to-be purchase.

He darkly chuckled. "Do I look like a wool sweater kind of guy?" He held up the sweater against his body, clearly amused that I thought he could pull it off.

It did look a tad dated and dorky. "Maybe not. But I have a hunch that you are more of a Jake Ryan than a Bender kind of guy."

Eddie and I made our way to the register. He did end up getting the fingerless gloves, and also paying for my 'A Princess and A Criminal' Breakfast Club t-shirt.

"Here you go, Mr. Edward Cullen." The old man clerk smiled from behind the counter, before handing him his receipt and items.

"Thanks." Eddie grabbed the bag, throwing a half smile the old man's way.

We re-entered the cold air once more, Eddie unchaining his bike once again.

"Say, why do you call yourself Eddie?"

"Because it's a nickname for Edward?" Eddie shivered at the though of calling himself Edward.

"But why?"

"I don't know…I just never felt much like an Edward. Edward, to me, implies being older and responsible."

"And you don't feel that way?"

"No, not yet." Eddie walked along side me with his bike, gripping the handlebars tightly under his Bender gloves.

We walked a couple blocks in silence. I was trying to find a way to put it to him that I too felt that way sometimes. That there is no going back to being young and stupid.

"Do you remember in high school when everyone called me Izzy?"

He nodded his head.

"After college, I asked people to stop calling me that. So now I go by Isabella. I decided that I had to take that step toward responsibility at my own volition. You have to be your own motivator sometimes. I mean, you stopped smoking pot, you can certainly handle people calling you Edward."

"It's more than a name, its more like…I don't really have instances in my life where I am responsible for anything. I live…now don't laugh, but I live above my sister's garage. I never have the desire to leave and don't see that happening anytime soon."

Emptiness. It kind of saddened me that he felt like he had nothing in his life that gave him passion. He was a floater and I wouldn't mind helping him get to shore, as corny as that sounded.

"You went to college, right? What did you study?"

He rolled his eyes. "Probably something to do with pot, probably biology or chemistry. I flunked out of college because I was so high all the time."

"What made you quit pot?"

He steeled himself, shaking his head no. "It's a long downer of a story; it would dampen the good time I'd been having today." He smiled down at me.

"Alright. And I'm having a good time too, by the way." I patted the top of his hand resting on the handle bars. I felt my cheeks brighten and not from the wind that was hitting them.

"Oh!" Eddie pulled out his phone, unwinding the earphones for us. "Time for another clue."

We listened again to another clue that could easily make anybody's head explode. It led us to a small candy shop. To our amazement, no one had arrived yet.

I jumped up and down at our fortune. I _was_ going to get this doll after all!

"Eddie, thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without---"

That's when I saw him. Him. The one person who had fucked up my life and he was heading in our direction.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the last chapter, folks.

* * *

**EPOV**

In a flash, Isabella was standing behind me. What the hell was going on?

"Isabella, what--" Her body pressed into my back, her hands against my shoulder blades.

"Please, just act as my shield." She sounded frantic and upset.

I was on the look out for something that could frighten her, but there was nothing in sight. Nothing but a handful of people exiting shops or cars whizzing past us on the small jagged cobblestone street were all I saw.

"Is there a man with a pageboy hat walking our way?"

"Yes." I mumbled under my breath.

"Is there a blonde woman with him? A young girl with curly brown hair?" Her hand gripped tightly to my coat.

"Yes and yes." Did she know these people from somewhere? Duh, she was acting like the fucking grim reaper is going to take her life.'

"Oh God, Eddie. I need to get out of here. Please, just far away from here." She was choking on her words, tears ready to spill at any minute.

I hadn't chained up my bike yet, so I quickly hoped onto my bike with Isabella hopping onto the pegs. She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her face into my back, as I breezed passed them.

I didn't know where we should go next, so I rode us to a small coffee shop. She still gripped tightly to me when I stopped. I noticed that she was shaking against me; was she aware that we were blocks away from them now?

"Isabella, we're somewhere else now." I softly informed her, feeling her arms unwind from around me. My body instantly felt colder, missing the connection.

I watched as she wrapped her arms around herself. Once I chained my bike up, she held onto my arm with both her hands and pressed her face into it. We walked inside the cozy, armchair and sofa only set up coffee place. There was a small group of people on laptops in the front of the store, but other than that the place was empty.

I escorted us to the back of the store, away from the world altogether.

"Do you want a coffee?" I asked, removing my hat and fixing my mess of hair.

"Hazelnut, just milk." She meekly responded, shedding her coat and scarf.

I purchased our drinks and bought a pastry for myself.

"Thank you." Isabella cradled the ceramic cup of coffee in both her hands, blowing the top of it to cool it off before taking a test sip. She placed it back on its saucer on the table, before bending her knees to her chest.

"So…want to explain what that was?" There was no getting around what I wanted to ask. Her reaction to them was too much for my curiosity to hold steady.

She licked her lips, placing her chin on top of her knees. I waited patiently for her to collect her words. "That guy back there was Demitri. He and I went out a few years ago."

From what I saw of him, he looked a good ten years older than her. "How old is he?"

"Thirty seven." She made no move to look at me. "The woman with him was his wife Jane and their eight year old little girl is Bree."

I was trying to do the math in my head, when Isabella had been with Dmitri. "When did you go out with him?"

"Seven years ago. When I first started college. We went out for two years."

"So you went out with him when he had Bree already?"

"And he was married too." I saw a tear trickle down the side of her cheek. "I had no idea he had a wife. He even promised me _we_ would get married some day. He had a ring and everything."

"How did you find out he was married already?"

"I had never been over his house before and decided to look for his address. I was stupid and young and wanted to surprise him. So, I went to his house and watched him kiss Jane goodbye, while holding Bree in her arms." She stared off in the distance, a far off look in her eyes. "I remember driving away and heading to his job. I had to have answers."

"He told me that I was everything to him and that he was divorcing Jane to run away with me. Well, it didn't look like that at all; he looked beyond happy to be with her from what I saw. He tried to reason his way out of it and I ended up punching him in the face at his job and thrown in jail for a day. Worst of all? My parents lived hours away and none of my friends lived close by. So, who did I have to call to bail me out? The asshole I had punched." She rubbed her nose against her leggings, using it as a tissue.

I didn't like seeing someone cry the way she was; she was still holding a lot of it back, not wanting to make a scene. I grabbed a napkin from the holder on the table, walking it over to her. I bent at my knees, as she wiped at her tears.

"I felt like such an idiot when I finally noticed all the signs. The times he'd come over, how he left so early in the morning before he had to go home, never spending holidays with me. God, I felt like such a loser!" She cradled her head in her hand, likely reliving her realization again.

This was such a deeply personal moment, I felt unworthy to share it with her. I couldn't imagine the cheating aspect, but the feeling like an idiot part. I had been an idiot and a moron many imany/i times in my life. People have smacked me over the head and slapped me across the cheek because of the stupid shit I'd done. It's not like I didn't deserve it either.

All day, we had been sharing and I'd been always taught that doing that is caring. So maybe I should've shared something with her. I think I would've liked that myself.

I prodded my brain for a little nugget I could give her, something maybe on that level of personal pain.

"A few years back, I was babysitting my niece. She was dropped off at my apartment and her parents said they'd be back later. She was two years old and constantly looking for someone to pay attention to her. And I was still a complete pothead and didn't want to deal with any of the real shit that came along with taking care of a baby for a few hours. I watched her for a little while, but I had stayed up late the night before smoking and betting online. So, I fell asleep on the couch."

"I woke up about an hour later to my niece crying. I went to see what happened and saw her vomiting. She had found a bag of my pot, and ingested some of it."

Isabella looked down at me, her mouth hanging open. I was used to that look from people when I told them this story.

"I panicked. I called my sister and told her that she was really sick and I was taking her to the ER. My sister was livid as you can imagine and didn't allow me to see my niece or her for a while. I was afraid her husband would beat me up too."

"My niece is such a big deal in my life and the fact that I did that to her, made me feel like the lowest of low. So, I decided to quit and move back in with my sister."

I glanced down at the floor, reliving that stupid time in my life. "That was probably the first time I ever took responsibility for something, but I never want to get it to that point again where it takes a huge breaking point to convince me I'm wrong."

I felt a soft hand rest on my knee. Looking up at Isabella, she had a sad smile on her face. "Thank you." She barely whispered, before I placed my own hand on hers.

We hung back for a little bit, just chatting about menial things. Apparently, Isabella wants to move into the city at some point when she can afford an apartment that is 'bigger than a small walk in closet'. I told her about my job search and she said she might have a connection for me; any help is good help for me.

The cold, smelly city air hit our faces once more. A nasty smell from one of the grates below us seeped into my nose. I pulled out my phone one last time, feeling kind of gloom that this would be our last clue. Our last chance. "Do you want to try one last time?" I held out my phone, as she stared at it contemplatively.

"Sure." She smiled up at me. Was it too cheesy to think that I liked when she looked up at me like that? Showing a trust and confidence that made me want to smile myself?

The clue led us to the Flatiron District. We hopped on the subway and biked our way again toward our location. The DJ also mentioned that this part of the giveaway would be different, in that the first three who arrive there would have to answer some trivia questions and the person who answers the most correctly wins the doll.

I don't know what it is about this time of year, maybe it's the company I was keeping that day, but I wanted to state the truth. Confess things I never thought I would.

"Isabella, I was the one who stole your clothes and bra." I blurted out when I stopped biking to our location just a couple blocks away, the Flatiron building itself.

"What?" She shrieked.

"Yes, but I didn't mean to take yours. I was trying to steal Lauren's. She owed my friend Peter some cash, but he gave me the wrong locker number. And then I heard you coming out of the shower, towel around your waist, and I panicked. I hid while you searched for your clothes." I was out of breath once I finished confessing. I braced myself for the inevitable and more than deserved face slap and possible crotch kick. Goodbye, boys.

She stood there mouth agape, looking up at me. Then, her face went into a big fat know it all grin. "I already knew it was you."

"What? How?" I was completely shocked. All these years at feeling bad for never telling her and she knew this whole time? She knew the whole day we were together!

"Your hair." She messed with my hat covered hair. "It's hard to miss."

"Well, your boobs aren't that hard to miss either. I could pick them out of a line up." She gasped and slapped me on my arm. "What? You have very nice boobs. Don't girls like compliments?"

"Yes, but not about…things that are not normally seen by the general public." She pushed me away from her.

I couldn't tell if she was feigning offense or actually pissed at me. "Are you mad?"

She rolled her eyes, trying her best not to smile. "No."

"Well good, because your boobs starred in a couple fantasies of mine."

"How do boobs star in fantasies? Are they dancing around on legs?"

Was she trying to kill me? "Uh, don't give me ideas. I would enjoy a pair of dancing Isabella boobs right now."

She laughed loudly, walking backwards in front of me. "Well, I'd like a pair of dancing Edward ass cheeks right now." She turned around and ran off in the direction of the building.

I think she forgot that I had a moving vehicle with me and easily caught up with her, skidding to a stop in front of her. She giggled, placing her hands on the handlebars. We entered a stare down, waiting for someone to make a move.

My thoughts went to just how kissable not only the tattoo behind her ear was, but the tiny piercings that graced her nose and below her lip. The rose on her cheek called out to me to press my lips against. Even the widow's peak that started her hairline itched to be kissed. I felt myself leaning forward, still undecided as to where to go.

A sharp breeze blew past us, as I jutted myself out of my stupor.

"Shit." Bella ran off to the front of the building.

She was a short little thing, skateboarding and weaving around people gracefully.

When I arrived at the curved corner of the building, I had just caught up with spiky haired chick. Isabella wasn't too far behind, but there were hordes of other people heading my way. It seemed like everyone had the same idea and hope of getting that damn doll one last time.

There was a small stage and sound system set up, as two bodyguards stood on either ends.

A woman in glasses stood near a small set of stairs leading up to the stage. She looked official looking, like she had something to do with this contest. "Over here!" She waved her hand in the air and made eye contact with spiky haired chick, me and an older lady with glasses two feet next to me.

Bella ran up to me, just before I reached the woman. "Go!" I lightly pushed Isabella toward her, instead of me.

"I'm Angela, what's your name?" The lady with the glasses asked the three women.

"Alice Brandon." The spiky haired girl said.

"Isabella Swan."

"Shelly Cope." The old lady croaked out.

Just then, an attractive strawberry blonde woman stepped onto the stage with a microphone in hand. "Hello New York." The small crowd that was quickly becoming a big one, responded with claps and whistles. "How are you doing, New York? Its cold out here isn't it? Well, my name is Tanya and I am with Tantamount Studio, creator of the wonderful show 'Tammi Tallulah'.

There were a few more claps, before Tanya continued. "Many of you have braved the cold to get your hands on the highly coveted doll version of the star of our show. Sadly, this will be the last chance to get it before Christmas. However, for all your efforts, you will receive a ten dollar gift certificate to put toward your purchase at JCPenney's and a free 'Tammi Tallulah Goes Big Screen Concert' t-shirt. 'Tammi Tallulah Goes Big Screen Concert' will be in theatres early next year."

I rolled my eyes at the corporate push to get people to pay an asinine amount of money to see some stupid teenager dance and sing around on screen.

"Now, please give a warm welcome to the three people who arrived at this location first."

Alice, Isabella and Shelly all walked onto the stage, looking out at the crowd.

I heard someone murmuring behind me. "Is that Alice Brandon on the stage?"

Another voice chimed in. "My gosh, that is. She's one of those competitive people at all these contests. She ialways/i wins. I see her on the news quite a bit because of them."

Shit. I really hoped this Alice chick knew next to nothing about this show.

"Ladies, congratulations on making it here first. Introduce yourselves."

Each of them stated their names, before Tanya continued. "Now, I'm going to spit a few questions at you about the show and you have a minute to answer as many of them correctly as you can."

All three of them nodded their heads.

"Okay ladies, we drew your names out of a hat and the order will be Shelly, Alice and Isabella will go last. So, Alice and Isabella, would you kindly take a seat on one of the stools right behind us?" Tanya gestured to the three stools downstage.

Tanya quizzed Shelly, who stumbled on a few questions and ended up getting six of them right.

Next, Alice came up and she was a pro at this game. If I wasn't rooting for Isabella, I would be impressed. She looked determined and confident in her answers, never blinking or thinking twice. She ended up getting twelve questions right.

"Finally, Isabella." Tanya announced, as Isabella walked toward the front of the stage. "Isabella, you need to get at least twelve questions right to tie it otherwise, Alice wins the doll."

I felt my stomach twist in knots. I prayed to whatever God this Tammi Tallulah character worshipped that Isabella would get those twelve damn questions right.

"Okay, Isabella here we go." Tanya read off all of the questions from her card. Isabella was doing fantastic, getting the first seven quickly off the bat.

"What is Tammi's favorite holiday?" Tanya asked.

Isabella licked her lips. "Uh, Thanksgiving?"

"No, her birthday. What is the name of the dog that Tammi found sitting outside her middle school?"

"Butterscotch." Isabella didn't hesitate.

"Correct."

Isabella got questions nine, ten and eleven right. Now, she was up to question twelve; the do or die moment.

"What did Tammi Tallulah's dad tell her was the most important thing in the world?"

Isabella was drawing a blank. She shook her head, her mouth hanging open. I waited with baited breath for her to say something, anything. A guess was good as any at that point.

"Five seconds, Isabella." Tanya warned.

Isabella blurted out her answer as her time ran out. "Love?"

"No. Taking out the trash." Tanya turned her attention toward Alice. "Congratulations, Alice! Come on over here!" The crowd clapped for Alice as she pranced toward Tanya.

My heart fell, as I watched Isabella slump back to her stool. She looked completely heartbroken. How I wished I could duplicate this piece of shit doll, and let her be happy? She rubbed her hands up and down her face, before Shelly and her were escorted off the stage.

I pushed toward the side of the stage, hoping to comfort her in some way.

"Isabella!" I yelled out to her.

She was forlorn and a little teary eyed.

"I'm so sorry, Isabella." I placed a hand on her arm, rubbing it hopefully in a comforting manner.

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'll just… I don't know what I'll do. You think she'd be okay with the free t-shirt?" She sarcastically waved the t-shirt in her hand. "Here ya go, it's basically a burlap sac on you, but you'll grow into it in ten years." She pushed back tears but a lone one escaped, colored black by her mascara.

Behind her, Alice tapped Isabella's shoulder. "Hey." The tiny woman said, cradling the coveted doll in her hands. "I just wanted to say that you played a great game up there."

"Thanks." Isabella made no move to make eye contact with her.

"And well…don't tell anyone this but…here." Alice held out the doll in its plastic and cardboard box to Isabella.

"What?" Isabella now looked at her, thoroughly confused.

I was confused myself. Wasn't this whole thing about getting the god damn doll in the first place and this woman was just giving this to her?

"I like entering contests, but I don't always like the prizes. I'm more in it for the adrenaline and journey than the end result. So, enjoy it. And don't tell anyone that I do that sometimes. I have a reputation to keep up." Alice winked before walking away from us.

Isabella turned toward me, still shocked at the event that had just taken place. She was holding the box as if it were a bomb rather than a child's toy. "Did that really just happen?" She laughed through her words.

"I think…it just did." I crossed my arms, looking down at a Bella in disbelief.

"Wow. I can't believe it." Isabella smiled up at me. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For…I don't know, helping me out today. Just thank you." Isabella wrapped her arms around my neck, my own arms encircling her waist.

She smelled like mint. Why hadn't I noticed that before? It was the most delectable mint anyone could ever smell.

My lips itched to make some sort of contact. With her tattoo within distance of my mouth, I turned my head slightly and pressed them to it. "You're welcome."

**//....................\\**

We victoriously rode back to Penn Station. Isabella would shout and throw her hands up, before almost losing her balance and throwing her arms around me once again.

Once there, I checked the train schedule. "Looks like my train leaves in a half hour."

"Forty five minutes for me." Isabella glanced at the large board above us.

We stood around waiting for our trains to arrive, enjoying the silence that settled on us. I'd catch glances from her and vice versa. Was it weird that I liked looking at her, admiring her? Fuck it if it was, I loved it.

"So what are you doing on Saturday?" Isabella asked, shyly biting her lip.

"Well, I'm doing a family get together during the day, but I'm free after that. Why? Do you…want to hang out?" I sounded like a fucking teenager with the way she was making me feel.

"Maybe." She bumped my arm, glancing up at me.

"Sure, I'd love to hang out with you." I berated myself for sounding like an idiot.

The last call for my train was announced. I really, really wanted to stick around with her.

"So, that's my train." I turned to face her. I swallowed back my sadness at this day coming to a close. "I really don't want this day to end."

"Me either." She whispered.

"I'll…call you?" I hedged.

"Okay."

"Okay, I'll…talk to you soon…Isabella." I wrapped my arms around her one more time.

She felt so nice. Her small body pressed to mine, as I memorized the mint scent that was her. I memorized every single thing that made me like her from today. And maybe I would find more things to like about her in the future.

We separated and I walked backwards with my bike to the entrance leading to my train. She blew me a kiss; I caught it and was on my way.

As the train pulled away, I suddenly realized something.

I said I would call her.

I didn't have her number. Or an email address.

I hung back my head against the wall of the train. My hope was that she was the type to get Facebook or Myspace and I could contact her that way.

Shit.

**//....................\\**

"Shoshanna, sit down. Mommy can't pick you up right now." Rosalie coached Shoshanna to take a seat at the table, as she brought in some food from the kitchen.

It was a tradition in our family to celebrate Christmas dinner on the weekend before. I don't know why, I think my parents hated dealing with crowds at the food store a few days before the holiday.

The family also had a tradition of inviting lots of non-relatives over including some co-workers and neighbors.

The door bell rang. "Eddie, could you get that for me? That's either the baby-sitter or Emmett's golf buddy."

I sighed out and made my way to the door. Hopefully this person wasn't another annoying doctor co-worker of Emmett's or a baby-sitter that will just sit and pout throughout the dinner. Too many of them were complainers.

The bell rang once more. "Fuck, I'm coming." Don't people have patience anymore?

My hand went to the knob and I flung it open.

My jaw hit the floor.

I couldn't believe who was standing in front of me.

"Isabella?" I breathed out, my cheeks instantly flushing.

"Eddie?" She smiled, holding the gift wrapped Tammi Tallulah doll in her hands.

"Isabella!" I heard Shoshanna running and screaming, before she made contact with Isabella's legs. She hugged her tightly. "Did you get it? Did you get it?" She kept asking over and over again.

"I'm not telling you." She looked down at the little girl.

"Oh please, oh please!" Shoshanna jumped up and down, unwilling to let her slide.

"You can have it, but Eddie has to invite me in first." Isabella looked at me, worrying her bottom lip. I missed that lip. And her too.

"Come in, Isabella." I gestured for her to finally step inside.

We exchanged smiles, as I closed the door.

* * *

A/N: I hope you have enjoyed the story! Thanks again to Lillybellis for some great prompts I got to work off of. Check out http://community . livejournal . com /twi_exchange for other great gift exchange fics. See you soon!


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